The World Affairs Council of Hilton Head presented the annual Academic WorldQuest Competition in partnership with the Beaufort County School District. During Saturday’s competition at Hilton Head Island High, the 10 teams faced a screen where multiple-choice questions were projected. Using electronic “clickers,” they had 30 seconds to answer each question posed. Audience members sat behind the competing teams and were able to see the questions as they were projected on the screen.

This year's categories for questions focused on the nation’s top national security issues as voted on by the leaders of World Affairs Councils across the country. Those issues included: Current Events, Countering Violent Extremism, the European Union, Combating Infectious Diseases, Global Megacities, Middle East Alliances, Migration, the Koreas, China and Turkey.

This year’s winning team from Beaufort County will travel to Washington for the national competition, said Carlton Dallas, a Hilton Head businessman who serves as the project director for WorldQuest in Beaufort County.

“We’re excited to have our highest number of teams participate this year, with 10 teams from the district’s high schools,” Dallas said. “With the epochal changes taking place in geopolitical networks and relationships, we look forward to the May River team enjoying a very informative trip and a chance to network with more than 40 other AWQ Scholar teams from across the nation. These students are impressive future leaders, and they’ll get to experience the institutions of our government that have created our amazing American society. What a fascinating time to visit Washington!”

May River High’s winning team will receive a traveling trophy that will be displayed in their school for one year. The top three teams also received plaques.

The competition’s moderator was James Edward Alexander, a former broadcaster and attorney and a WACHHI member.

Academic WorldQuest is the flagship educational program of the national network of World Affairs Councils and is held annually in more than 40 U.S. cities.